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Stonehenge

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

Stonehenge, an ancient stone circle in England, is one of the world's most famous historical landmarks.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a very old and famous place made of huge stones. It stands on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. The stones are arranged in a circle, with some stones on top of others. Inside the circle, there are smaller stones and special shapes called trilithons.

People placed the stones there a long time ago, between about 3100 BC and 1600 BC. The big stones, called sarsen stones, were put up around 2600 BC to 2400 BC. Some smaller stones were added later.

Stonehenge is special because it lines up with the sunrise on the summer solstice and the sunset on the winter solstice. This means the stones point to important days of the year. Many people think Stonehenge was a place for special ceremonies or to remember people who had passed away.

Today, Stonehenge is one of the most famous places in the United Kingdom. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. The site is owned by the Crown Estate and cared for by English Heritage, with the land around it looked after by the National Trust.

The name Stonehenge may come from old words meaning "stone" and "hanging," because the stones look like they are floating in the air. Today, the word "henge" is used for special ancient circles made from earth.

Images

An old drawing of the famous Stonehenge monument in England, created by artist Lucas de Heere in the 1500s.
A map showing the layout of Stonehenge, including stone positions and surrounding features.
An artist's plan showing the first construction phase of the ancient Stonehenge monument.
Map showing the layout of the central stone structure at Stonehenge, an ancient monument in England.
An artistic illustration of the ancient Stonehenge monument in England.
A historic illustration of Stonehenge, the famous ancient stone circle.
An old black-and-white photo of the famous Stonehenge ruins in England.
A view of the ancient Stonehenge monument on a sunny day.
A historic black-and-white photograph showing the 1920 restoration work at the famous Stonehenge landmark.
An old black-and-white aerial photo of the famous Stonehenge monument taken in 1906 from a balloon.
An old illustration of the Stonehenge monument from 1789.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Stonehenge, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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